Flygnavigationssystem

Flygnavigationssystem is the set of technologies used to determine an aircraft’s position, plan routes, and guide flight paths throughout a flight. It integrates satellite navigation, ground-based aids, air data information, and aircraft automation to support navigation, flight management, and autopilot functions. Modern systems provide position, velocity, and time data to the cockpit and to the flight management system (FMS) for route planning, fuel optimization, and safe separation from other traffic.

Core components include GNSS receivers (GPS or other satellite systems), inertial navigation systems (INS) or inertial measurement units (IMU), an air data computer, and a flight management system. Ground-based aids such as VOR, DME, and instrument landing system (ILS) provide backup or supplementary navigation. The FMS combines the flight plan with performance data, while autopilot or flight director systems execute the commanded path. Navigation integrity monitoring, including fault detection and RAIM checks, helps ensure reliability in the presence of signal degradation or outages.

Systems come in several configurations. GNSS-based navigation relies on satellite signals and may be augmented by INS or other sensors. Hybrid or hybridized systems fuse GNSS with inertial navigation for continuous guidance during GNSS outages. Area navigation (RNAV) and required navigation performance (RNP) workflows define permissible routes and performance standards, enabling precise routes and more efficient operations.

Regulatory frameworks from ICAO and national authorities establish requirements for accuracy, integrity, and redundancy. Safety considerations emphasize fault management, redundancy, and continuity of operations, including backup navigation sources and procedure design to handle navigation failures.

Historically, flygnavigationssystems evolved from radio navigation to inertial navigation and then to satellite-based navigation, continuously improving precision, efficiency, and safety in air travel.